Bosnia and Herzegovina tops Europe with 64.7% minimum wage rise in 2025, report reveals

Bosnia and Herzegovina implemented the most significant increase in minimum wage in 2025, data from BestBrokers has revealed.

The report analysised the variations in how European countries have adjusted their minimum wages for 2025.

Among the 30 countries examined, Bosnia and Herzegovina raised its national minimum by 64.74%.

This jump brought the gross monthly minimum wage to €532 in 2025, up from €323 in 2024.

Romania recorded the second-largest increase at 22.78%, moving its minimum wage to €663, followed by Bulgaria at 15.51% (€477), Croatia at 15.48% (€700), and Serbia at 13.79% (€502).

Other countries that saw notable increases include Lithuania (10.14%), Poland (7.68%), Latvia (6.96%), and Slovakia (6.55%).

On the lower end of the scale, several Western European economies made only marginal changes.

Belgium’s minimum wage increased by just 1.43%, reaching €2,029 per month, while France’s rose by 1.77% to €1,766.

Slovenia recorded a 1.96% increase to €1,253, and Hungary’s minimum wage rose 2.02% to €736.

In some cases, there was no change at all. Armenia and Cyprus did not adjust their minimum wages for 2025, leaving them at €183 and €1,000 respectively.

The report also compared gross monthly and hourly incomes across European countries.

Denmark remained the highest in terms of gross monthly income with a minimum wage equivalent of €5,743.

Other countries with high gross incomes included Luxembourg (€4,943), Ireland (€4,707), and the Netherlands (€4,625).

At the other end of the spectrum, Armenia (€183), Albania (€394), and North Macedonia (€446) posted the lowest figures.

Hourly wage comparisons across European capitals further illustrated these income disparities.

Bern, the capital of Switzerland, had the highest average gross hourly wage at €40.01.

Luxembourg City followed closely at €38.43, with Copenhagen at €30.65.

In contrast, the lowest average gross hourly wage was found in Zagreb, Croatia, at €1.41.

Other capitals with low average hourly wages included Tirana (€2.49), Skopje (€2.87), and Sofia (€3.37).